Concrete Nixie Clock

How is it that two such cold, hard substances — glass and concrete — can combine to make a warming, almost organic object? It may have something to do with the flickering orange lights inside, or the fact that concrete is a surprisingly lovely material, as welcoming as wood when used right. Take a look at the dome on the Pantheon in Rome if you’re about to argue.

Whatever the reasons, we love the Nixie Concrete Clock, a block of concrete with holes into which are slipped six Z560M Nixie tubes, the glowing digital displays of old East Germany, and spiritually the LED-readouts of the steampunk age.

As with any timepiece of substance, this one takes a little learnin’ to read: The hours, minutes and seconds are delivered in vertical pairs, so that the picture above shows 10:23:54. Simple, beautiful and slightly aloof.